at the same time, a full hearted thank you to Oakley for putting this event on, and to the surfers who are rad to watch, including Parko whose technique IS flawless (even if his waves are overscored). it’s not the WCT surfers who are to blame, it’s the whimsical judging structure that they have to deal with that demoralizes their efforts, and undermines they dedication to their art/sport…

and additional thanks to the people of Bali who hosted everyone and shared the bliss of their culture with us…

and to Komune & Luke Egan who have created an amazing environment for this to happen in.

the way forward is simple:

one judge per surf region / all judges former WCT surfers.

problem solved.

]]>By: jeff barneshttp://www.surfermag.com/features/oakley-pro-bali-champ/#comment-2202075
Sat, 29 Jun 2013 00:38:08 +0000http://www.surfermag.com/?p=203499#comment-2202075I can’t wait for one of surfing’s esteemed publications to get some of the contestants in a round table or one-on-one discussion about the scoring issues from that contest.
]]>By: Danielhttp://www.surfermag.com/features/oakley-pro-bali-champ/#comment-2201821
Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:17:50 +0000http://www.surfermag.com/?p=203499#comment-2201821Well said. Totally agree with previous posters!
]]>By: graham swindellhttp://www.surfermag.com/features/oakley-pro-bali-champ/#comment-2201429
Fri, 28 Jun 2013 03:07:01 +0000http://www.surfermag.com/?p=203499#comment-2201429Great wave, great surfing, biggest judging clusterf#$K I’ve seen this season. When guys are making this much money you would expect things to be a little more professional.
]]>By: Matt O'Brienhttp://www.surfermag.com/features/oakley-pro-bali-champ/#comment-2201391
Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:56:12 +0000http://www.surfermag.com/?p=203499#comment-2201391funny thing is if you majority of comments regarding parko’s “win” (be it rd3 against Damo, “perfect heat against johh john, or the whole bali comp) there seems to be a pretty common thread – he is getting overscored and his competitors are getting underscored. when reading the comments that support him, they always say that us the masses are stupid, blind or don’t understand what we are seeing with our own eyes. Parko is by far the most uninteresting surfer to watch in a heat because you know what he is gonna do and what the judges are score him. I read somewhere else (surfline i think) that he starts out with a 10 and the judges deduct points while all the other surfers start out with 0 and earn points. Pretty much the case if you have been paying any attention to his results starting from last year on. The Bells thing was an exception and so was Brazil – the judges had no choice because they scored him so high that his competitors couldn’t help but get thigh scores too. IF the judges would calm down when he was in a heat it might be a little more honest. Of course I am just stupid, blind, and don’t understand what I am seeing! gettin’ pretty old…
]]>By: Jershhttp://www.surfermag.com/features/oakley-pro-bali-champ/#comment-2201383
Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:33:08 +0000http://www.surfermag.com/?p=203499#comment-2201383Very few things bother me enough to consider actually taking time to write a comment about them on the internet. This joke of a contest is one of those things. Right from the get-go it was all hype, like there was no way this wasn’t going to be the most awesome contest of the year no matter what, which seemed a little strange, and I don’t know how the judging fits into that exactly but holy sh*t – what a joke. It was basically without reason and painful to watch. I don’t want to throw out words like “rigged” and “biased” but what else explains something so ridiculous? I am perfectly well aware that Fiji and Bali are two different waves, but it is a complete slap in the face to Kelly that Parko got a perfect heat riding a couple of completely mediocre barrels (at almost any other barreling break) when there were no less than a dozen way better rides throughout the contest that didn’t even break a 9. Everyone is saying exactly that, and the proof is on the replays. Again, I hate to talk or use words like conspiracy, but ??? Nat obviously won, but didn’t. Damian obviously beat Parko in round 3 (coincidence?) but didn’t. Was the ASP’s World Champ getting blown out so bad this year that the playing field had to be levelled? After Mick beat Kelly at Bell’s last year (and probably long before that), it became obvious to anyone with two functioning eyes and a brain attached to them that who wins and when is not all about who’s riding better. I think this contest deserves a deeper look from whoever’s “in charge” so it doesn’t happen again.
]]>By: bufuhttp://www.surfermag.com/features/oakley-pro-bali-champ/#comment-2201349
Thu, 27 Jun 2013 19:25:07 +0000http://www.surfermag.com/?p=203499#comment-2201349Before anyone rips on my comment I am well aware how good Parko surfs. His style and tube sense is amongst the best of all time. That being said he has become tremendously boring to watch. After seeing him surf a few heats watching became grueling. Also the judging was all over the place. One of the worst comps i’ve seen by a judging standpoint. One example was Nat’s semifinal heat. There’s no way Bourez’s last wave was an 8.24. That score was an embarrassment to modern surfing. Yeah it was surfed well. but three floaters should not score so high.
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